The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-12-02

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point or other. / have talked with
many hunters and natives, and the dis
covery once made has beer declared
an exception. Twas going through an
open Forest following in the wake Of a
troop OF elephants which weYe feeding.
when came upon the skeleton of one
stuck fast between two trees. The
trees grew from the same root, but
spread several feet apart and in the
excitement of an alarm the beast had
attempted to pass between them. He
was firmly caught behind the shoulder,
and had been held there until he
starved to death. Hide and flesh were
gone, and the bones picked cleanAnd
some OF them fallen to the ground, but
L secured magnificent pair of tusks
for the pulling of them from the flesh
less skull. On another occasion found
an old bull lying fiat on his side on the
open plain, and not yet quite dead, He
had been wounded by poisoned spears
thrown by the natives.
The first thought of a wild elephant
Is TO flee from danger, but the very
first wound inflicted arouses his
temper and makes him dangerous
foe. He may run off with the herd
after being struck, but if pursued and
harrassed he is quite certain to turn.
The first elephant which charged me
was the most vicious beast ever had
to deal with. had wounded him Sc
yerely one moonlight night as he stood
drinking at pool with five or six
others, They all went off with a rush,
and l supposed my shot had failed.
About ten clock next forenoon, as
was beating a piece of forest fully four
miles from the pool, with my boy Joe
carrying an extra gun, the wounded
elephant suddenly charged us up
hillside. He was not over a pistol shot
away, but had been so we'll hidden that
we had not suspected his presence. He
had been bit in the shoulder, and the
ascent was pretty steep. But for this
he would have had us. The man who
would attempt to run away from an
elephant on foot would be a corpse in
five minutes. They have an amazing
gait in the open, and their pace is
scarcely impeded by any obstruction
in forest or jungle. Nothing smaller
than a tree the size of a mans body
will turn them aside. As the beast
trumpeted and started for us, we both
made for the nearest tree. 1t was a
large one, with branches growing we'll
down, but we only got one gun up,
and were not above fifteen feet from
the ground when the elephant reached
the spot. He was in q terrible rage.
His first move was to break off every
branch he could reach, and we were
not safe until we were twenty-five feet
above him. He was not over three
minutes stripping off the branches,
and he did not cease his trumpeting for
a second.
The tree was fifty feet high and
eighteen inches through the trunk.
When the old fellow had every thing
cleared away, he took hold with his
trunk, got a good brace with his feet,
and lifted just as aman would. [ felt the
tree tremble from root to top, and |
have no doubt that had the monster
been free of wound he would have
pulled it over. AS it was, he started
some of the roots when he sagged back
with his full weight He made four or
five heavy pulls before he gave up, and
then he tried another plan. He was
quite at liberty to work any way he de-
sired, as l had q cartridge jammed in
my gun and was working to get it
clear. The old behemoth reiterated
back about ten rods, and then came
for the tree head on. We knew what
was coming, and were clinging fast
and tight, but the shock nearly spilled |
us out, He tried it twice more, and
then gave it up. My extra rifle now
caught his eye, and he picked it up,
Whirled it around several times, and
then smash, it went against the tree,
breaking into dozen pieces. l had
got my gun clear by this time, and l
now proceeded to put seven-ounce
bullets into him, one after the other.
He screamed and trumpeted and
rushed around, determined not to give
up the fight, but at last grew faint and
dizzy, and went down on his side
with crash, which made the earth |
tremble.
A second instance of elephantine
ferocity, combined with stealth and
shrewdness, occurred on that same
trip. Six of us were scattered through |
a wood in search of signs of the pres
ence of elephants, when a SOLITARY"
sneaked out of jungle, where he had
been hidden, and rushed upon my
horse. | was two miles away, but one
of the natives saw the performance
He said the elephant broke cover as
stealthily as q man, carefully APP
preached the horse, and was only a |
few yards away when discovered.
Then he trumpeted and made rush.
strike the horse with terror, and he
made no move to escape. The great
trunk, held aloft as the beast charged,
struck the horse ''side swipe" and
knocked him fiat, and he was no
sooner down than the elephant knelt
upon him and kneaded him into bloody
pulp. When his vengeance was salts
fed he rose up and retreated to the
same thicket, sneaking along as if he
was seeking 10 hide his trail. 1t was
an hour later when reached the
spot, and l was so angry over the
death of my steed that nothing the
men could say would stop me from
entering the thicket in search of the
destroyer Joe followed me, bearing
q gun, and both of us were ready for
on1- trick the boast y,irht no III, to